Heat
by Gyroscope
Summary: This is a story that is forbidden outside the walls of At' Maas. Your eyes are fortunate to set upon such parchment, dear foreigner. AU.


**CHAPTER 1**

This is a story that is forbidden outside the walls of At' Maas. Your eyes are fortunate to set upon such parchment, dear foreigner. But make haste. A guardian of this library would spy your burning lantern casting your hooded shadow and hear the soft crackle as you turn these pages. A freedom without the knowledge of this story or the taste of this forbidden fruit and possible imprisonment? Reader, choose wisely, as the tale begins…

The adventure starts on such a blistering day, where the sun had no mercy on the civilians of At' Maas. Beads of sweat burst from every pore of their dark skin once the sunlight had the taste of their flesh. However, despite the heat, the daily bazaar still buzzed with songs and chicken clucks, with shouts and laughter. Humidity made travel slow on foot, so many hopped onto ponies and wooden carts. Civilians clumped around the minimal shelter cast by the small shops and tents, where one could feel another's sticky skin and sweat-soaked clothes. Even so, no one complained about the weather, except for one blue furred critter, hidden in a lonely, skinny alleyway.

Radarr chirruped in an annoyed tone as he tugged his owner's pants. His tiny body hated such high temperatures and his rough blue coat of fur was not helping. Also, the ridiculously bright and purple checked overalls and orange lopsided hat his owner forced onto him made things worse.

"I'm sorry, Radarr. We lost the juggling balls last time, so this is the only way we're going to do it," Aerrow whispered.

This Aerrow was different to many of the civilians of At' Maas. Where they had a dark complexion, he had envious fair skin that many adored. His bright crimson hair was an eternal torch and contrasted with their raggy browns and shaggy blacks. He also had emerald eyes that clashed with his hair, but shone as bright as his crimson locks. Apart from these differences, he was alike to many of his age. Aerrow was an orphan and wore a dark green bandanna indicating so. Children with families (these were few) wore blue bandannas and had higher priority than "those low-grade kids". With no parental support, Aerrow was independent and got his daily needs from "borrowing".

Once again, it was "borrowing" time as Aerrow's stomach gurgled and protested for food. A smaller rumble came from the stomach of Radarr when the blue critter patted it.

"You ready, Radarr?" Aerrow nudged his companion.

"Reep!" Radarr excitedly replied.

As Radarr dashed out of the alleyway, Aerrow began to climb up the sandy walls. He loved reaching the top where he could see the whole town buzzing, yet he hated it as the sun burnt furiously at his bare back. Finding a dried up vine, Aerrow slid down in, then launched himself atop a stripy tented shop. He landed with such grace, like a feather falling and reaching its destination. From here, he saw Radarr dancing and swinging his hat, while the crowds flocked towards the entertainment. Smiling, Aerrow flipped backwards and found the crates of food. He grabbed two small roasted chickens and a bunch of leafy vegetables. Shoving them into his large pants pockets, he climbed the tent again and saw Radarr still dancing his heart out. A group of children had joined him, shaking their bells and hitting their tiny drums.

His green eyes peeped over the pole that made the roofline of the tent. With them, Aerrow scanned for some tasty treat and found it. They were so close to him, yet also to the shopkeeper's eyes. Aerrow whispered a prayer to the sky gods of At' Maas and stuck out his thin arm for the shiny, delicious, red apples. With his heart knocking against his ribs, Aerrow laid flat on his chest, bending lower towards the apple. Its smooth skin brushed against his fingertips when he made a grab. Just a bit closer…

Aerrow let his feet get caught on the supporting pole of the tent. He swung and went for another grab. Missed. Just a little bit more…

He stretched out his arm as far as it could go. Nearly there…

"HEY! What do you think you're doing?" the shopkeeper's thick moustache bristled angrily. "The Street Watch! THIEVES! THIEVES!"

The Street Watch was bad news. They were ruthless troops who enforced the law on the streets and hated boys like Aerrow. Aerrow dove into the tent shop once he heard the shopkeeper shout, and grabbed as many apples as he could. Jumping down, he ran for it, grabbing Radarr along the way.

"Run Aerrow, run!" he thought to himself. His coarse pants rubbed harshly against his legs, causing a rash on his thighs. The food in his pockets acted like weights and gradually pulled his pants down. Yet Aerrow ran as fast as his bare feet could carry him, while holding onto his pants. He pushed through sweaty clumps of civilians and knocked down a tower of chicken cages. They clucked angrily at him with white feathers flying everywhere. After the At' Maasians realised what was going on, they paused in shock on the sides, creating an aisle for Aerrow and Radarr to run through.

"Don't just stand there! Catch him!" the helmeted Captain of the Street Watch ordered, waving his spear around.

A storm of troops clad with leathers and armed with glistening spears charged at Aerrow and Radarr. The troops' dark skin was sheened with a layer of sweat, with their muscles rippling underneath. They charged with a war cry, pushing away civilians and knocking down the recovering chickens.

Aerrow looked back and smirked. They had armour and weapons while he had nothing. He had the advantage of weight and speed. Grabbing a pole of a tent, he swung up and ran along the roofline. Radarr followed, and wherever he got that watermelon, he threw it down at the chasing Street Watchers. Two men were hit, while another three slipped on the juices and crashed into tents, food flying everywhere. The shopkeepers came out and brandished their vegetables at the remaining troops, stalling their pursuit of the criminals.

The Captain of the Street Watch furiously roared alike to a lion at his useless men. The famous Street Watch had never lost a criminal and he did not want to destroy that record. Adjusting his silver helmet, he shoved through the civilians and ran in the direction of the thieves. His pearly whites gritted underneath his helmet as large droplets of sweat ran down his face. It was hard pushing people and even harder running in such high humidity. As quick as a flash, the Captain spotted a blur of red and sprinted into that direction.

OOO

Aerrow jumped from the ledge of the sandstone building and landed into a quiet alleyway. His companion soon followed. Finding a comfortable part of the wall, the pair sat down and leaned against it, catching a much-needed breath. They felt soaked in sweat but drained in energy after the chase.

"Apple, Radarr?" Aerrow panted softly.

The blue critter happily accepted it and munched happily into the flesh, a ripe crunch echoing through the walls. The delicious taste of the fruit made Radarr forget his table manners as the sticky juice ran down his furry chin. It was satisfying to have such a sweet flavour covering his tongue. Aerrow enjoyed his own apple and sighed. These were the best fruits of At' Maas, and that chase was certainly worth it.

"We lost them, hey?" Aerrow said, patting Radarr's head.

"Lost who now?" a shadow spoke.

Aerrow sprang up and brandished his apple core, while Radarr growled threateningly. They looked brave on the outside, but their hearts were pumping furiously as the shadow sauntered closer, closer…

Aerrow had nowhere to run. The alleyway was a dead end and the walls had no holds to climb. He did not want to be captured by the Captain of the Street Watch. No! He was too young to be locked up in a metal box, with no light, no freedom, no life…

"Stay back!" Aerrow shouted as bravely as he could, "I've been trained in the arts of…"

"Of apple cores?" the voice laughed like a sound of jingling bells. "I'm not going to attack you. I'm sort of lost."

"You're lost?" Aerrow whispered, letting his guard down. "Who are you?

The figure unhooded, revealing her face. Alike to many citizens, she had tanned skin, yet her complexion glowed with a bronze hue. Her face was petite, with a pointed chin and a small nose. Her dark blue hair flowed down her shoulders like a luscious waterfall. But what captured Aerrow the most was her bronze eyes that glittered like jewels embedded in a dark rock. He blushed and nearly staggered at her beauty, but Radarr's suspicious growls brought Aerrow back.

"I'm… Piper," she said, sticking a hand out of her cloak.

Radarr growled even more when Aerrow stuck out his grubby hands and shook Piper's. "I'm Aerrow and this is Radarr."

"Hi Radarr!" Piper sang.

The blue critter sniffed her feet and hissed at Piper. Radarr did not like the smell of her. It was too twisted; a combination of cherry bark and cinnamon with the touch of orange and chocolate. His ears pricked up as Piper laughed from his tail tickling her legs.

"Don't worry about Radarr. He's always wary of new people," Aerrow shrugged and rubbed his neck.

"You should be wary of all people," a low voice boomed at the end of the alleyway. "I've got you now, thief!"

Piper quickly popped on her hood and brought out a small dagger from under her cloak. Aerrow and Radarr just watch wide-eyed as she threw it, the dagger soaring through the air. Finally, it dug itself in the Captain's thigh. He roared as the trio watched him collapse in pain, clutching his injured leg.

"Thanks," Aerrow smiled.

"No problem," Piper whispered back.

"So… you… um..," Aerrow mumbled.

"Sorry, Aerrow. I need to go. He can't see me," Piper pointed to the Captain. With a flick of her cloak, she ran off and disappeared behind the corner.

Aerrow ran passed the injured Captain and tried to follow Piper's path. He scanned the crowded streets from the corner, but Aerrow could not see her. He placed his hand on the edge of the wall and searched again. Radarr crawled up his back and settled himself on Aerrow's shoulder. He could hear the shrieks of pain from the Captain and felt his own sweat gushing out from his skin.

But Aerrow did not care for any of this.

He only cared for one thing.

"I'm in love with her."

* * *

_A/N: Every sinew of my body rejects the idea of writing a romantic story, but oddly enough, this concept wasn't rejected. So here it is for your eyes to enjoy. It's kind of rough, so feel free to pick out grammatical errors, spelling errors and what not. _


End file.
